


Wrong Numbers

by DogStar19



Category: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Disney - All Media Types, Frozen (2013), Hercules (1997), Tangled (2010), Tarzan (1999), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Drama Teacher!Megara, Drunk Dialing, F/M, Gym Teacher!Hercules
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-23
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-16 16:35:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1354213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DogStar19/pseuds/DogStar19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the suggestion of an old tumblr post. A high school teachers AU. </p><p>Meg and Hercules are working in the same high school, and are dancing around their attraction to each other. </p><p>What happens when Meg dials the wrong number after a night out with the girls</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The first day was always the worst. Or at least Herc had always told himself that. The first day of school as a kid had been nerve wracking enough, but as a teacher? Terrifying in his experience. Regardless, here he was, an hour before the day officially started, setting up for his first class. 

It was surreal to be teaching at his old high school, particularly as his old coach still taught here. He shrugged the thought away and decided to carry on with setting out the equipment. 

Track and field had never been his favourite discipline, but he soldiered on, like any good gym teacher, with the monotony of team tags and batons. 

\---

 

Her heeled sandals clicked rapidly as Meg practically ran to the class room. Really, she was a terrible example of a teacher, always arriving late to class like this. Particularly on the first day of class. 

It wasn't that the young drama teacher hated teaching. More that, even in her second year of teaching, she still held a deep rooted hatred for school. Left over from her own rebellious days at high school. 

The door was shoved open and Meg barged into the classroom, lugging her suitcase along with her. She tottered over to the full length mirror beside her costume closet and sighed. Her long brunette hair was tied in a messy half-bun, nothing to be done with it, as far as she was concerned. Meanwhile, her long, purple dress was sitting all wrong, perhaps she had lost weight since she wore it last. She rummaged through a drawer of ties and belts, finding a thin, braided leather one, and fastened it around herself with the gold buckle. With the loose fabric brought in, her hourglass figure was accentuated. Perfect. 

The slim brunette flinched as the bell shrieked. Home room. Great. 

\--- 

Out on the track, Hercules stood sizing up his first period class whike they did warm ups. The muscle-bound redhead was huge in comparison the ninth graders, who, for the most part, seemed to be varying levels of not jocks. Oh well. 

He picked out five fairly athletic looking kids and had them pick three others for their team. 

He regretted it immediately. A bespectacled kid with acne obscuring half of his face was picked last. Ah, high school. Hercules made a mental note to pick the teams himself from then on. While he was never picked last as a kid, he always sympathised with those who were. 

The redhead put the teams into their lanes, and instructed each relay member to their position on the track. Soon enough the kids were sprinting along, shouting and cheering each other on. It was quite pleasing to see them competing like this. He corrected where there were illegal baton passes and gave pointers on running form. After a few rounds he sent the kids to the locker rooms, telling them about various team tryouts that would take place soon. 

When he bell rang again signalling the end of the lesson the students trudged off to another class and Hercules breathed a huge sigh of relief. One down, he thought. 

\---

By lunch Meg had dealt with runaways, drug users, prostitutes, and even rapists. It was wonderful to see so many enthusiastic and creative pupils, but she did wonder if some of them needed councilling. 

She thanked whoever thought up her schedule that her next period was free, leaving her almost two hours for lunch. As the dramatist sauntered into the teachers lounge she caught sight of the new gym teacher. During the few days before school started she had glimpsed the redhead around the building. It was no surprise that he was tall, or covered in muscle or even that he was so young. It did surprise her that he was so attractive. 

After all, Meg had a type. And this Amphytrion guy was most definitely not it. Yes, she generally went for muscles, and yes, she had a thing for gingers, but he was soft spoken and kind. While she hadn't actually held a conversation with him, Meg had witnessed it. He helped people pick up dropped papers, he smiled almost shyly when people greeted him as "Mr. Amphytrion" or "Coach", and unlike other phys. ed teachers she could mention, he didn't bark when he spoke. 

"Hellooo!" 

Meg jumped back. She hadn't realised, but she was standing in the doorway, blocking it. Luckily the next two entrants were Esmerelda and Rapunzel. 

"Miss. Creon, you are blocking the door." Said the pixe-like brunette, smirking. 

Meg rolled her eyes, and let out a short laugh, "I am unbelieveably sorry, Miss. Corona!" Esmerelda chuckled along with them as the three sat at one of the tables. 

"Mrs. De Châtaupers, don't you hold choir practice at this time on a wednesday?" Asked Rapunzel, continuing the mock formalities. 

Esmerelda broke the chain, "Not on the first day back, Punz" 

The energetic art teacher pouted, pulling a tupperware container out of her bag and setting it on the table. "That's Miss. Corona to you!" 

Meg sat, smiling to herself as she also put her lunch on the table, along with a fork. Across from her the music teacher shrugged, unpacking a sandwich and taking a bite. "What do you think of he new guy? What's his name...Hercules?" 

"Ooh, you mean Hunk-ules!" Rapunzel bounced a little in her chair, now holding a leafy tortilla in both hands. 

Meg raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Don't you have a boyfriend...y'know, the english teacher?"

The younger girl shrugged, "Eugene says looking isn't cheating."

"Yeah, just so he can gawp at other women, i'll bet. Phoebus says the same thing." Esmerelda chimed in, between mouthfuls. Meg nodded toward the new teacher. "Whatever you wanna call him, yeah... he seems nice." She stabbed at her pasta with the fork before looking between the two. "What? Did i grow a second head?"

\---


	2. Chapter 2

After lunch Hercules stayed sat in the teachers lounge. Like Meg, he too had a free class after the interval. He was endlessly thankful. Following the 9th graders from first period he had been stuck with three other classes who were unhealthy and unco-operative. It astounded him how these kids treated their teacher. At one point a pair of seniors had walked off of the football field to have a smoke, when he approached them, they simply walked off. 

The redhead shook it off. Hopefully the next class would be better. 

"This seat taken?"

Hercules looked up to find a woman with hair like a waterfall, and a body reminiscent of grecian urns. He gawped at her, stumbling over his words. Despite his "jock" status, Herc was actually rather shy when it came to women. Especially hot women. Particularly hot women who were asking him if they could sit with him. 

"Uh, y-yeah, of course, sure!" He blurted out. Nice going, knucklehead. 

Meg quirked an eyebrow and Hercules gulped almost audibly. "Thanks, not many people get off after lunch, y'know?"

The gym teacher's eyes bulged for a second, before he realised that she meant having a free class rather than...well. "y-yeah. It's pretty lucky to have it on the first day too." 

She held out a slender hand, her mouth settled in a lopsided smile. "Megara Creon. Drama." 

Hercules shook with the brunette, "pleased to meet you, uhm i'm Hercules Amphytrion, phys. ed" he smiled nervously. 

"Wow, Herc, that's quite a mouthful!" Meg mused over his name, it was particularly unusual after all. Then again, so was hers. 

Just as the redhead was about to retort Esmerelda peered around the teacher's lounge door. "Hey, Meg, we've gotta go to the school musical meeting, remember?" The drama teacher nodded and stood quickly. 

"Well, Wonder Boy, another time, huh?" She winked and followed her friend out, hips swaying with every step. 

Hercules leaned back and sighed, realising how tense his muscles had been throughout the short conversation. That woman seemed to do something not unpleasant to him.

\---

Once the pair were in the hallway, Meg and Esmerelda shared a look. Esmerelda was skeptical and surprised, while her colleague appeared irritated and suspicious. The musician broke the silence first. "Wonder boy?" 

The brunette held her gaze, "School Musical? So early?" The two walked in stony silence to the music room, where Esmerelda's class were scattered around in little groups of instruments. 

The pair of teachers settled at the front of the class, where Mrs. De Châtaupers had compiled a list of possible musicals. They pored over the list discussing civilly until the bell rang. Meg left for her next class, while Esmerelda cleared up for her own. 

\---

School finished uneventfully after that, and Hercules was glad for the relative peace that his final class gave him. It seemed that the day had tired them out enough that they were unable to rebel like their peers. 

He found his way to his car and sat for a moment, simply basking in the fact that he had finished his first day as a qualified teacher. He turned the radio on low and organised his rucksack while the engine ran. Just as the muscle-bound man was about to get into gear there was a knock on his window that made him jump. 

Peering in was a large blonde man with a strong jaw. He waved a huge hand at the gym teacher and Hercules rolled the window down. "Hey, Kristoff. I completely forgot, jump in."

Somehow it had slipped his mind. Kristoff Bjorgman, the woodshop teacher had been on the same football team as Hercules when they were at high school. They hadn't kept touch after Kristoff, two years older than Hercules, had graduated. After Meg had disappeared, Kristoff had come to the lounge for coffee, and invited Hercules for a drink that evening, to celebrate surviving the first day of school together. 

The two muscled men drove to a small, cramped bar, where a few teachers were already settling in a corner with their drinks. 

Despite seeing many of them around, Herc knew very few of the other staff members. Of course there was Phil, who also worked as a gym teacher, Miss. Arendelle, the icey principal, and a few of the admin staff, but other than that, the gym teacher had made no effort to get to know anyone just yet. 

Kristoff pulled up a chair and Hercules followed suit, waiting patiently to be introduced. 

"You okay, kid?" Asked Phil, from his seat in the corner. 

"Yeah, i'm fine, i just...don't know anyone, is all" He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously. 

The short, goateed man shuffled up in his seat before pointing to each person in turn. "Well, y'know Kristoff Bjorgman, he works in woodshop", the blonde raised his hand in acknowledgement, "the lovely redhead next to him is his wife, Anna, she works at the local elementary school" the woman smiled wider than Hercules had thought possible, "her sister, our principal, Elsa Arendelle" a civil nod was all he got in response "this i-"

"I'm Rapunzel Corona, art department, it's so great to meet you, it's awesome not to be the newest teacher anymore!" The skinny girl with the pixie cut practically bounced out of her chair. Hercules noticed that she had little flecks and smudges of paint all over her, smiling at her. "Pleased to meet you."

"And next to her is her boyfriend, Eugene Fitzherbert, English teacher, though don't get him started, he has an obsession with those damn Flynnigan Ryder books."

The brunette quirked an eyebrow at the shorter man. "Just because you can't read, Phil, doesn't mean others don't appreciate such great works of fiction." Eugene folded his arms, looking rather put out, Rapunzel giggled. 

"And lastly, Milo Thatch, geography, and Jane Porter, biology." A skinny, bespectacled man and a petite brunette woman looked up from their notebooks where they sat together talking. Milo waved and Jane gave a nervous. "Oh, hello there" her accent was thickly english, Hercules noticed as the pair continued chatting about some kind of "new evidence" 

Herc ordered himself a beer and settled neatly into a conversation about how summer clearly corrupted the students. The teachers seemed like a rather amusing mix of people. From the energetic Rapunzel to the strong, silent Kristoff, he could see himself making friends here. 

\---

Megara practically fell through the door to her apartment, grumbling about how stiff the hinges were. She trudged to the kitchen and flung open the fridge, looking longingly at the unopened bottle of wine crammed in between milk and soda. "School night, Creon, it'll keep" she told herself, grabbing the bottle of coke instead and drinking from it. The last class of the day had been a group of unruly kids with no respect at all, as far as Meg was concerned, and now, she plopped herself down on the couch, turned on the tv and settled in for a thrilling night of game shows and soap operas. 

Ah, the glamerous life of a teacher, she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, i put this up earlier than expected. hat do you think of the other teachers?
> 
> By the way, i write these completely on my phone in 1500 character blocks, so i do apologize for inconsistencies and spelling mistakes. I don't have spell check, however i am still looking for a beta reader, inbox me if you're interested.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Hercules wandered into the locker rooms early. The gym teacher did enjoy morning training sessions, claiming that they woke him up. He stretched out, heading for the pec fly machine first.

After a few beers Herc had been responsible, switching to soda, after all, it was a school night. He and Kristoff had spent the evening catching up for the most part. Herc learned that Kristoff and Anna had met while at college, he had been in his final year when Anna was in her first. The two had kept touch and become close, beginning to date after they came to work together.

Hercules was definitely happy that Kristoff seemed to be settling down. Despite the redhead's inexplicable shyness, his friend had been labeled something of a "player" in their youth. It was funny to think about now, the way they had been in high school. While, admittedly, Hercules had not changed all that much.

The young teacher wasn't breaking a sweat, changing to the stationary bike to get his legs working and his heart rate up.

Elsa Arendelle and her sister were almost polar opposites. Anna was similar to Rapunzel, all bouncing and smiles, probably from spending her time with young cbildren. Her sister on the other hand, had sat with a glass of water, sipping silently and only speaking when necessary. It was...creepy, as far as Herc was concerned.   
While he wasn't a man of many words at the best of times, he was at least sociable to some extent. He decided not to judge what he didn't know. Particularly when it came to the principal.

Hercules checked his watch, just five minutes till the bell. He jumped off of the bike and made for the locker room.

\---

Sun was overrated. That was her first thought. It was quickly replaced by "oh, shit" when she saw the clock. There were just five minutes until school started and she was still lying in her bed.

With no grace whatsoever, Meg leapt up from under the covers, practically tearing off her purple tank-top as she ran into the living room. The brunette had the foresight at least to lay out her clothes last night. Thank the god of latecomers, if there was one.

By the time her car pulled into the parking lot of the school, home room was over, and Meg was i  deep trouble. She ran, thankful that she had picked out sensible shoes, and reached her classroom to find Tiana Amalie, the home ec. teacher, tending to her class.

"Back into the swing of it, Meg?" Tiana whispered as Meg came to stand at the desk. Meg rolled her eyes. "I swear, you need an alarm clock."

The brunette rubbed her eyes sleepily. "I have one. It doesn't wake me. What've you got their young minds doing?"

"They're reading a textbook chapter on script writing." Tiana blew a flyaway curl out of her eyes as Meg thanked her. "Yeah, well, Arendelle says you'll be in trouble if this happens again. Last year you agreed you'd try harder, she says she isn't seeing that. Good luck, Creon." The cook smiled sympathetically as she finished reciting the principal's complaint, before turning to leave.

"Thanks, T." Meg couldn't help but sigh as she flopped into her seat. A slender hand came to her face and she pinched the bridge of her nose.

\---

By break Hercules's resolve was ready to crumble. Yesterday had been bad, but now he'd had two classes in a row where unruly students had been sent to the principal's office.

It ate into class time and he was now sporting a stress induced headache. Hopefully a cup of coffee would help.

Not many teachers bothered coming to the lounge at morning break, so Hercules found himself alone at the coffee pot. Until he wasn't. 

"How do you drink that stuff? Aren't P.E teachers supposed to be the peak of healthy living?" Came a slow drawl from behind him. Hercules turned to see the brunette from the day before standing with her hands on cocked hips, and a smirk spread across her lips.

He smiled softly back. "I like coffee. Is that a crime?"

"Coffee is the enemy of sleep. In my eyes it's criminal to deny yourself a nap."

He chuckled at that, and she grinned. "So, Wonder Boy, where you from?" Meg slipped herself into the nearest chair.

"Huh? Oh, i'm from here, actually. This was my high school. What about you?"

"Oh, i'm from...around. We moved a lot when i was a kid. I live nearby now, though." Which was true. She couldn't really pick a place she was "from". 

The pair continued with the pleasantries, Herc had pets, Meg didn't, neither of them had siblings, both of them enjoyed the mild weather that the autumn had brought. 

But then the bell rang. And they both had classes. 

Hercules stammered over a few syllables before Meg told him to spit it out. "Would you like to go for coffee sometime?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Meg's stomach twisted unpleasantly. As attractive and sweet as he was, she had rules. "Sorry, Wonder Boy. I don't drink coffee, and i don't date co-workers." 

"I-i don't mean as a date. Just as friends." The hopeful smile was too much and she nodded. "Tonight after school?"

"I'll come meet you after class. Thanks, Wonder Boy." With that she walked off, and Hercules found himself, once again mesmerized by her swaying hips. 

\---

Esmerelda and Rapunzel were already at the table when Meg showed up for lunch. "What took you so long?" 

"Ugh, some kid was fooling around on the stage, fell off and sprained his ankle. I had to fill put an accident report."

"Hey, the new guy was at the bar last night. How come you weren't there?" Rapunzel tilted her head as she asked, putting down her half eaten sandwich for a moment. 

"First day of school ran me down. I just wanted to sleep. I'm going out for coffee with him tonight."

"What happened to not dating colleagues?" Esmerelda finally spoke, leaning into the table with her chin resting on her hands. She looked almost conspiratorial like that. 

"It's not a date." Meg stabbed the salad on her plate a little too enthusiastically and a cherry tomato went flying. She frowned in the direction it had landed. 

"Sounds like a date. Especially since you don't like coffee." Replied the musician. 

"Who's dating who?" Tiana pulled up a chair and sat down with a cup of soup. 

"Meg's going on a date with that Amphytrion guy. The gym teacher." Rapunzel explained, grinning. 

"It is NOT a date!" Meg was adamant, "End of discussion" She picked up her plate and sat at another table. 

Esmerelda finished a mouthful of food. "It's totally a date." Rapunzel and Tiana nodded in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this was a bit of an empty chapter. But the next one we meet a sort of not-villain(the anti-hero, if you will). Anyways, this is the chapter for tomorrow night. I'm going to do scheduled uploads from now on. So they will be uploaded every saturday.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meg and Herc have a Not-Date.

Meg was pissed off. It really wasn't a date. Her and Wonder Boy were going to a coffee shop and that was that. He was nice. Nothing more nothing less.

Besides, even if she was attracted to him(which she wasn't), he worked with her and that made him off limits in her book. Things would get complicated, they'd break up over something stupid and she'd end up leaving again.

It didn't do to dwell on history like that, so Meg shrugged it off as she strode down the hallway. Despite having worked at the school for a while, it was rare to find the drama teacher in the sports wing, and she wasn't sure where Herc would be. She found the staff base easily, but it was empty. Doubling back, she heard a thumping noise from one of the rooms. Meg opened the door a crack to peek inside.

Hercules stood, feet apart, hands up, defending his face, pummeling a punching bag. Sweat made lazy paths down his face, his thunderous punches causing the bag to swing. With each punch every muscle in him seemed to work and move. _Not attractive at all,_ she said to herself. _His biceps aren't attractive. Neither are his legs. Or his face. Or the way he scrunches it up like that. Not one bit._

She sighed, gathering herself together and pushed the door open. "Now what'd that bag ever do to you?" Meg raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" The redhead relaxed, standing straight as he turned to see her. "Meg, hey. Gimme five minutes, i'll be back out."

He grabbed his towel from the nearest bench and walked to the locker room.

Meg sat herself down on a rowing machine, using her feet to swing it back and forth. _Get a grip, girl. Get over your silly crush to the big, soft, bodybuilder, and move on._ she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed at herself.

A few minutes later Hercules returned, rubbing his curly locks with a towel. "So, ready to go?"

"You showered and changed in that amount of time?" The brunette looked incredulously at him. 

"Uh...yeah, why?" He looked confusedly at her. 

"No reason. Anyways, where we headed, Wonder Boy?" They walked side by side out of the room and down the hall. 

"Nowhere special. There's a little coffee shop nearby. We could walk there...?" He let the words hang there as a question. 

"Sure, lead the way." They exited the building through a fire door, walking through the gravel. "So. You said you have a dog? Any other pets?" She asked. 

"Uhm, yeah, i kind of own a horse."

"A horse?" Another incredulous look covered her face.

"Yeah, it's a long story. I was at the rescue centre, and he was standing at the fence as i came out. Big white stallion, but he was all skin and bones. According to the volunteer guy he was going to be put to sleep. They couldn't take care of him because he would cost so much." He was doing the neck rubbing thing again, Meg noticed. "So, i bought him."

"You said you live in the apartment complex across town. Where are you keeping the horse?"

Hercules chuckled. "My dad owns a farm nearby. Pegasus is his new favourite mode of transport." 

Meg smirked, who would actually call their horse Pegasus? _Evidently, Wonder Boy._

"How come you don't have any pets?" He asked, tilting his head as they rounded a corner. 

She shrugged. "I used to have a kitten. But my ex sort of...took her when we broke up."

Hercules fervently claimed that was a terrible thing to do, while they entered the shop. Meg managed to talk him down, telling him it was no big deal. And so they ordered, his coffee and hers tea, chatting away about everything and nothing. From Herc's terrible experience with unruly students to Meg's love of sleep. The pair fell into an easy rythm together, laughing and smiling and making little notes to themselves. The way his mouth moved when he laughed, or how she curled her fingers in that one lock of hair every now and then. It was fun. Too fun. Meg needed an out. 

She looked at the clock on the wall, seeing that it had been three hours since they entered the shop. Was that enough time to make her excuses?

"Look, this has been great, but i gotta get home. I have lesson plans for next week to finish up, and Arendelle is gunna chew my ass if i'm late again." 

He looked like a kicked puppy for a split second, but quickly recovered to put on an understanding smile. "That's cool, i've got to take Dug for a walk anyways. C'mon, we'll walk back." They paid seperately, solidifying how this was NOT A DATE. 

They walked back to the school in an amicable silence, the sun already mostly set behind them. As the two reached the parking lot, Meg hugged Hercules, "Thanks, Herc, it's been a real slice." She gave him a faux-salute with two fingers and climbed into her run down car, waving at him as she pulled out of the lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First scheduled upload. There'll be one next week. Where I'm throwing a spanner in the works. Hope you enjoyed the mildly fluffy meg/herc we had going this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hercules has a workout with an unexpected visitor.

The locker room was empty, finally. Hercules locked the office doors and quickly got himself changed. 

The previous night he'd been out with Meg on their not-date. It disappointed the soft-spoken teacher to know it would never go anywhere, after all, Meg was beautiful AND smart. Still, he could just enjoy their friendship instead. 

He had spent a free period chatting with Kristoff and Eugene in the warmth of the woodshop base. The large blonde man insisted on whittling a little sculpture as they talked. Although he knew that Meg was snarky, he had no incling to the reaction he would get from his new friends. 

"Listen up, man," Eugene had instructed him, "We call Elsa the Ice Queen, right? Harmless fun because we all know she's just not very good with people. But, Megara Creon? She knows how to act in social situations and disregards it. I mean, you're lucky your balls are intact after asking her out." 

Kristoff snorted indignantly from his seat in the corner, not looking up. "Don't let him fill your head with stories, Herc. She's a little...difficult, but nothing half as dangerous as Eugene says. He asked her out a while back, and, well, he was his usual douchey self." 

The redhead chuckled, "I'm surprised you're still here, then." 

Kristoff had joined in and the pair poked fun at the english teacher for a while following. 

Now, Hercules stood, having changed into a set of swim shorts, pulling a pair of dark-tinted goggles on and grabbing his towel. He closed the locker which now contained his clothes and made his way to the pull door. The door, to his surprise, was unlocked. Herc was sure he'd locked up after the last class. _Oh, well,_ he shrugged and opened the door. 

The heat of the chlorinated pool room hit him immediately as he stepped in, locking the door behind him.

"Hey! That's a fire hazard, y'know!" The redhead jumped and turned on the spot to see where the voice had come from. 

A woman, her hair an even deeper shade of red than his, her eyes a light, sky blue in contrast, was standing, dripping water all over the floor. She wore a dark bathing suit, with the name "Triton" emblazoned down one side in white. Hercules found himself struck dumb, staring. 

"What're you even doing in here? You're clearly not a student!" Her face was screwed up in annoyance, her arms folded across her chest. 

"I uh-" Hercules tried to recover, "i-i'm the new teacher."

At his words her expression softened into embarassment. "Sorry, oh god, i'm so sorry. I'm Ariel Triton, swim coach. I only come in for swim club, so we haven't met. Uhm...you are...?" She took a step toward him, gesturing questioningly. 

"Oh, i'm Hercules Amphytrion." He extended his hand and they shook. All thoughts of Meg seemed to have left him when the swimmer had appeared. 

A spark of recognition lit up on her face. "You mean...did you go here? For high school, i mean?" He nodded, a confused look taking over his face. "You were the mvp..."

Hercules was a little taken aback by her statement. "Uh, yeah?"

"I was at that game! Fastest touchdown in state history. Wow. Didn't you get drafted?" She was closer now, looking up at him questioningly. 

"Uhm...No, I decided to become a teacher instead. Hence, why i'm here." He gestured at the room. 

"Sorry, sorry. I just remember- it was a good game." She played with her hair which was beginning to dry a little, before slipping back into the pool. "It's freezing just standing there."

Hercules followed suit, the two standing in the chest deep water. "Thanks, so, did you come here too, or...?"

Ariel was playing around, hopping from one foot to the other. "Huh? Oh, no, uhm, sadly, i was a Duck."

He stood quite still, rubbing the back of his neck before pulling his goggles down over his eyes. "Well, i was just gunna do some lengths, do you mind if...?" 

"Not at all, i was just doing the same myself."

With that, the two athletes began their seperate workouts, though occasionally Ariel would make a challenge, claiming she would beat the teacher. Herc claimed he was allowing her to win. 

\---

After almost half an hour Herc felt like he couldn't continue, conceding to the swim coach as he lifted himself out of the pool. 

Ariel followed his lead, heading for the showers. 

"I haven't been swimming in a very long time, if i'm honest. I'm more of a weights guy." Remarked Hercules as they washed off the chlorine. 

"Really? I couldn't tell!" Ariel giggled a little as she made the sarcastic comment. The gym teacher scowled fakely at her, trying to keep a straight face as he did so. 

They seperated to change into dry clothes in the segregated locker rooms. While Hercules was ready first he stood, waiting in the hallway for the coach. Ariel appeared, using her key to lock the locker rooms, jumping as she saw Hercules standing beside the door. 

"Need a ride home?" He asked, thinking it was only courteous. Ariel nodded and they walked to his car in a comfortable silence that was interrupted only by her directions as they drove. 

"This was good. Usually i swim alone, but it's nice to have a little company. So...same time next week?" Ariel looked at him hopefully, a light blush on her cheeks. 

Hercules nodded, "Definitely, i'll see you then, i guess." Ariel nodded back, fumbling with the car door as she got out, heading into the apartment complex. Herc couldn't help but grin to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you i was throwing a spanner in the works. That spanner's name is Ariel. 
> 
> Next time; a little time acceleration is in order to keep the plot moving. See you next time. 
> 
> (I thought i could set a future publication. Evidently not. So they'll come as and when they come from now on.)

**Author's Note:**

> First off a few quick explanations for names. 
> 
> Hercules Amphytrion(Herc's mortal family was named as "the house of amphytrion" it was his mortal father's name.)
> 
> Megara Creon(Meg's father in greek mythology was Creon, king of thebes)
> 
> Esmerelda de Châtaupers(in the original Victor Hugo novel, this is Phoebus's last name.)
> 
> Rapunzel Corona(in Tangled this is the name of Rapunzel's kingdom)
> 
> This is my first multi-chapter fic in a while. I am looking for a beta-reader for it, so, give me a bell if you're interested. 
> 
> I'm hoping to update every week or fortnight probably on saturday nights/the early hours of sunday morning.


End file.
